Excellent piece! Though I am a creature of habit when it comes to groceries, I definitely have my share of FOMO. I especially appreciate the way you have tied so many choice overloads and implications together.
Judith, I fully agree with the premise of this article. Often wondered if I "passed" on the latest shiny object if my life would fall apart. I'm 83 now & looking back the answer is a resounding " NO"
I have felt for a long time that too much choice is burdensome and wasteful. A grocery aisle filled with different brands and variations of highly processed, highly sugared breakfast cereals offers false choice; I doubt most people, including the children they are aimed at, could distinguish their "favourite" in a blindfold taste test. I prefer to shop for clothes at sales because the collection has been culled and I am more likely to find something that suits me without having to look through endless things I would not wear.
I agree. It is easy to become paralyzed by choice. I find having clarity ahead about values really helps. When I go to a restaurant, for example, I know I won't order the red meat. I will look at the fish and vegetarian options, so I have fewer choices. And then I use a rule of thumb that I try to order something that I wouldn't bother to make at home.
With coffee, I am lucky. Some years back, a cousin in Washington State started a coffee business with his wife. Having their own business gave them flexibility to care for a child with serious health issues. Their coffee company, "Grounds for Change" (groundsforchange.com) roasts coffee that not only is delicious, it aligns with my values--fair trade, organic, carbon free. I have now been buying from them for years, 5# at a time, minimizing shipping.
One drawback to having fixed ideas that make choice easier can be resistance to change. I find I am typically skeptical of newfangled things that seem unnecessary, but I am open to conviction. I usually ask a lot of questions, but then am willing to try. Having adult children is good for this, as I respect their judgement.
I'm largely vegetarian, too, and tend to appreciate having fewer menu choices to consider. Thanks for your rule of thumb -- don't order what you could cook at home. I hadn't thought of that. Also thanks for the link to Grounds for Change. Washington is my home state, so I'm especially inclined to consider them. And finally, Yes! to having younger generations in our lives.
Judy Thank you for this post, I feel almost the same when it comes up to go for groceries, I have always in mind the image that "I go for a fight" in the jungle of so much choice.
Plastic is so much everywhere, it kills me when I look for a piece of apparel in the regular stores, the majority of the fabrics are made from synthetic "plastic" .
Excellent piece! Though I am a creature of habit when it comes to groceries, I definitely have my share of FOMO. I especially appreciate the way you have tied so many choice overloads and implications together.
Judith, I fully agree with the premise of this article. Often wondered if I "passed" on the latest shiny object if my life would fall apart. I'm 83 now & looking back the answer is a resounding " NO"
I'm 83, too. Age helps with perspective, although it also makes dealing with the new little harder.
Yes.
Thanks, Judith. I look forward to the still moment after I have read your musings. No choice to be made, no decision, just think.
Wonderfully said.
I have felt for a long time that too much choice is burdensome and wasteful. A grocery aisle filled with different brands and variations of highly processed, highly sugared breakfast cereals offers false choice; I doubt most people, including the children they are aimed at, could distinguish their "favourite" in a blindfold taste test. I prefer to shop for clothes at sales because the collection has been culled and I am more likely to find something that suits me without having to look through endless things I would not wear.
I agree. It is easy to become paralyzed by choice. I find having clarity ahead about values really helps. When I go to a restaurant, for example, I know I won't order the red meat. I will look at the fish and vegetarian options, so I have fewer choices. And then I use a rule of thumb that I try to order something that I wouldn't bother to make at home.
With coffee, I am lucky. Some years back, a cousin in Washington State started a coffee business with his wife. Having their own business gave them flexibility to care for a child with serious health issues. Their coffee company, "Grounds for Change" (groundsforchange.com) roasts coffee that not only is delicious, it aligns with my values--fair trade, organic, carbon free. I have now been buying from them for years, 5# at a time, minimizing shipping.
One drawback to having fixed ideas that make choice easier can be resistance to change. I find I am typically skeptical of newfangled things that seem unnecessary, but I am open to conviction. I usually ask a lot of questions, but then am willing to try. Having adult children is good for this, as I respect their judgement.
"The world is so full of a number of things..."
I'm largely vegetarian, too, and tend to appreciate having fewer menu choices to consider. Thanks for your rule of thumb -- don't order what you could cook at home. I hadn't thought of that. Also thanks for the link to Grounds for Change. Washington is my home state, so I'm especially inclined to consider them. And finally, Yes! to having younger generations in our lives.
Judy Thank you for this post, I feel almost the same when it comes up to go for groceries, I have always in mind the image that "I go for a fight" in the jungle of so much choice.
Plastic is so much everywhere, it kills me when I look for a piece of apparel in the regular stores, the majority of the fabrics are made from synthetic "plastic" .
I love "going for a fight." But I don't love the fact that it feels that way, for me, too.